The first high school in America to use Catapult

When Catapult invented team GPS tracking for the Australian Olympic over a decade ago, the technology was engineered for elite teams that wanted scientifically-validated metrics that were equivalent to what would be measured in a laboratory setting.With over 800 teams now using the system, it was an inevitable next step for US high schools to realize the potential of monitoring technology for their athletes.

The first high school to embrace a data-driven approach to student-athlete management was Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in Bradley, Illinois.

Led by Strength and Conditioning coach, Adam Vogel, and Assistant Athletic Director and Head Football Coach, Mike Kohl, Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School will be using Catapult for soccer, football, cheerleading and track and field.

Mike Kohl shared his excitement about getting started with the system.

“It monitors all their movements. From total distance traveled, to how fast they are moving, to how much they change direction,” Mike said.

“I wasn’t totally in at the beginning and I think the biggest thing was I didn’t know how it worked. But after we went to Notre Dame and saw it in action, we wanted to see if this was something we could get done and I’m excited about the possibilities of it”.

Adam Vogel first discovered Catapult when Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher mentioned the value of the product after the school captured a national title. As told to the Daily Journal in the Kankakee Valley in Illinois, it piqued Vogel’s interest and after tons of research and study, he decided to make his pitch.

“I wanted to try to be ahead of the curve on something like this,” Adam said.

“Coach Kohl wants to be different, and this was definitely a good different. We’re not trying to take out the art of coaching, because it is an art, we’re just trying to give Mike a better way to answer the questions he has in his head. Or a way to give him validation of what he’s thinking”.